κολοβ-όω G2856
To cut short, shorten; to curtail or reduce the duration of a period of time.
Means to cut short, dock, or curtail. Originally used of physical mutilation or trimming, in the NT it appears exclusively in the eschatological context of God shortening the days of tribulation for the sake of the elect (Matt 24:22; Mark 13:20). Each passage uses the word twice—once to state that the days 'were shortened' and once to affirm that the Lord 'shortened' them—emphasizing divine sovereign intervention. Spanish acortó and French raccourcir both highlight the temporal-reduction sense.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To shorten or curtail, specifically the duration of a period of time. All four NT occurrences appear in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:22 twice; Mark 13:20 twice), where Jesus declares that God has cut short the days of great tribulation so that the elect might survive. The classical sense of physical docking or mutilation is absent; the NT usage is entirely temporal. Spanish acortó (shortened), French raccourcir (to make shorter), and German verkürzen equivalents all confirm the meaning of reducing duration rather than physical size. 4×
AR["تُقَصَّرْ", "سَتُقَصَّرُ", "قَصَّرَ"]·ben["কমিয়ে-দিতেন", "কমিয়ে-দিলেন", "কমিয়ে-দেওয়া-হবে", "কমিয়ে-দেওয়া-হয়েছিল"]·DE["κολοβωθήσονται", "ἐκολοβώθησαν", "ἐκολόβωσεν"]·EN["had-shortened", "he-shortened", "were-shortened", "will-be-shortened"]·FR["raccourcir"]·heb["יִקָּצְרוּ", "נִקְצְרוּ", "קִצֵּר"]·HI["घटाए", "घटाए-जाएंगे", "घटाए-जाते", "घटाया"]·ID["Dia-memendekkan", "akan-dipersingkat", "dipersingkat", "memendekkan"]·IT["ekolobosen", "ekolobothesan", "kolobothesontai"]·jav["badhé-dipuncekapaken", "dipuncekapaken", "ngendhekaken", "panjenenganipun-ngendhekaken"]·KO["줄어들-것이다", "줄어들었다면", "줄이셨다", "줄이지-않으셨다"]·PT["abreviasse", "abreviou"]·RU["сократил", "сократились", "сократятся"]·ES["acortó", "fueran-acortados", "hubiera-acortado", "serán-acortados"]·SW["Bwana-angezifupisha", "amezifupisha", "siku"]·TR["kısaltsaydı", "kısalttı", "kısaltılacak", "kısaltılsaydı"]·urd["گھٹائے", "گھٹائے-جائیں-گے", "گھٹائے-جاتے", "گھٹاتا"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κολοβ-όω, dock, curtail, mutilate, LXX+4th c.BC+:—passive, to be mutilated, imperfect, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II of Time, curtail, shorten, τὰς ἡμέρας NT